1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to more efficient house heating systems, and in particular to a new and useful home heating system which utilizes an outside combustion air source as well as a heat reclaimer for reclaiming heat from the exhaust gases of a furnace to provide a coherent heating system with increased fuel economy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofor a wide variety of heating systems are known which utilize furnaces having combustion chambers for burning a fuel such as natural gas, propane, or oil by consuming oxygen-containing air to produce heat. The heat is then transferred to a heating medium such as air or water, which is circulated to other portions of the house.
In burning a fuel-air mixture, heated exhaust fumes and other by-products are produced, which in general are vented to the exterior of the structure being heated. A wide variety of devices are known for reclaiming heat in this exhaust product, and thus better utilizing the heat produced by the burned fuel.
In standard home heating furnaces, combustion air which is utilized to provide oxygen in the burning of fuel is usually supplied in a haphazard manner from the general open spaces of the dwelling. A vacuum is created in the combustion chamber of the furnace, and air is drawn into the furnace to burn the fuel supplied therein. As this air is drawn from the dwelling, it must be replaced from outside the house through leaks, open windows, or the like. As the price of heating fuels increases and the availability of these fuels decreases, it has recently become the custom to heavily insulate a dwelling and also to reduce or eliminate all air leaks which tend to cause heat loss. In extreme cases, there arises a danger that insufficient combustion air will be provided to the furnace, thereby producing partial combustion of the fuel and possibly even producing dangerous by-products such as carbon moxide, which may be sucked back into the dwelling which is at a partial vacuum.
Proposals have been made for providing a specialized combustion air line to the combustion chamber of a furnace from the exterior of a dwelling. Such a combustion air line would provide cool outside air directly to the furnace and thereby eliminate the need for tapping the generally available warm dwelling air for this purpose. The provision of such a combustion air line also eliminates the dangers of incomplete combustion, and permits the total sealing of a dwelling against drafts and other unwanted air flows.
Other examples of previous attempts at increasing the efficiency of heating units are disclosed in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,190 to Gordon,
U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,218 to Dibert,
U.S. Pat. No. 2,768,675 to Conn,
U.S. Pat. No. 2,537,082 to Palmer,
U.S. Pat. No. 2,508,885 to MacKay,
U.S. Pat. No. 1,979,462 to Garnder et al, and
Article, "Outside Venting" by Evan Powell, Popular Science, October, 1973.